Yes, it is back-to-school time. You and your daughter have worked to get her ready. She has pushed you to buy her the latest fashions so she will fit in; you’ve bought her school supplies and paid for her haircut. Maybe you treated her to getting her nails done . . . but there is a more concerning part of her fitting in that you need to also take care of.

Last week I received emergency requests from two different acquaintances for the same reason—the issue: their daughters’ drug use.

The first parent was “freaked out” about drug paraphernalia found in her high school daughter’s room. “But she’s a straight-A student, an athlete!” she told me, and she is confused about her daughter’s choice.

The second parent shared that her twenty-something daughter had moved on from the “safety” of marijuana to using heroin, having legal problems, and is now desperately in need of help.

These parents are devoted to their daughters and are now very worried about them.

Many Reasons for Drug Abuse

According to many recent reports, there are many reasons for the increase in drug abuse among girls and women:

the perception that their friends are using and they should as well;

a need to sooth their developing, toxic girly thoughts—the way they learn to criticize themselves for not achieving societal standards of beauty and behavior;

glamorization in media of drug use as a way to increase sexual desirability;

widespread availability;

difficulty in getting help with not enough treatment options;

the lack of understanding by most insurance companies that kids are dying of overdoses and that outpatient services just don’t help many kids.

Drug Use in Real Time

In 2013, 16 percent of girls age twelve and older reported binge drinking in the past month, according to NIDA.

Yes, girls age twelve and older. This is not just an adult problem. And it is just one of numerous and disturbing statistics about the increasing numbers of substance-abuse issues among young women.

The parents who called me have every reason to be concerned. Below is a graphic (courtesy of Clarity Way) showing the rates of first-time substance use for alcohol and illicit and prescription drugs on an average day.